Today’s proceedings will be moved from courtroom 20 to another courtroom, which has not been made known yet. This is so that the matter can be dealt with separately and does not clash with the roll for room 20. Previously, concerns were raised over delays to bail proceedings, especially after the policeman was apprehended. The legal counsels for the accused and the state were often at loggerheads over a suitable date. All parties involved agreed the delays were problematic. Businessman and accused no 1 in the case, Stanley Bakili, will also be applying for bail after abandoning his application previously.

Today’s appearance comes after one of the men who pulled the trigger and killed Siemens earlier this year, pleaded guilty to the murder in a twist of events yesterday. The 39-year-old Xolisile Mbebetho was sentenced to 22 years in prison by the Free State High Court yesterday for his role as the assassin in the murder. The state has stated previously that Bakili was the mastermind of the operation. He was a business associate of Siemens who was the Director of the Day Hospital, City Med, at the time of his death. A detective from the Bayswater unit, Molebatsi Mogoera, and court orderly, Kagiso Chabane, are believed to be Bakili’s accomplices in mapping out the murder. The slain Siemens was shot in the basement parking area of Preller Square on Thursday, May 10. The businessman was apprehended for the murder that very day.

Mbebetho - a Port Elizabeth native - was apprehended in Phahameng last month after being on the run since the day. He first appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on October 12 in a leg brace, where the matter was postponed. During Mbebetho’s appearance, it was revealed that his life was in grave danger and his picture could not be taken by the media. The man was detained at a facility that was not disclosed in court at the time because of this. OFM News learned earlier this week that the man was injured in what he believed was an attempt on his life in Kimberley. He is reported to have gone to Kimberley with friends at the time and was as a result very afraid for his life.

The fifth suspect in this murder is still at large.

OFM News